Anquan Boldin to meet with mystery team on Sunday

As expected, free agent wide receiver Anquan Boldin has spent most of the offseason out of the limelight. After finishing 2016 with the Detroit Lions, Boldin announced he would return to the NFL for his 15th season, but said he had not decided on where he would play. For the rest of the spring and summer, Boldin pursued other interests, like pushing for criminal justice reform.

But with most teams just two weeks away from training camp, Boldin is ready to come out of the shadows and play football again. According to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Boldin is in talks with several teams:

If last year was any indication, Boldin still has a lot to offer any NFL team. With the Lions, Boldin caught 67 passes for 584 yards and eight touchdowns in 2016. Boldin now has at least 60 catches in 12 of 14 seasons, including five straight. At age 36, Boldin has shown little signs of slowing.

But for the Lions, it appears interest is waning. Just last month, Lions head coach Jim Caldwell didn’t seem to show much interest in bringing back the veteran receiver. “I think we’re in good shape where we are right now,” Caldwell said. “I think we have a really good core.”

Caldwell also said that he hasn’t had much contact with Boldin since earlier this year. “He’s still out there, still available, but we haven’t had any discussions with him.”

As for where Boldin may land, the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett is reporting that those close to him say Boldin would like to play closer to his Florida home. If you want to read into things further, Omar Kelly, the source of this Boldin news, is a beat writer for the Miami Dolphins.

Whatever decision Boldin makes, it appears we’ll likely hear something soon in the coming weeks.